


He Chose Him

by Rulerofyouall



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Hood/Arsenal (Comics), Red Hood: Lost Days
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily (DCU) Feels, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Damian Wayne is Robin, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Has Issues, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Jason Todd is Red Hood, Jason Todd-centric, Jason-centric, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Protective Dick Grayson, Scarification, Tim Drake is Red Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28377318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rulerofyouall/pseuds/Rulerofyouall
Summary: Jason makes the mistake of taking off the armor covering his neck in the Batcave. Dick has some questions about a particular scar on his neck, and he won't let Jason avoid them.
Relationships: Batfamily Members & Jason Todd, Cassandra Cain & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Jason Todd, Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd & Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson & Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Comments: 18
Kudos: 529





	He Chose Him

**Author's Note:**

> I own nothing!

Jason grumbled a bit as he took his helmet off a bit more aggressively than necessary. He immediately went to where he had left his motorbike, intending on leaving the Batcave as soon as he could. The other Bats' eyes burned into the back of his head, but that didn't matter to Jason.

He shot a glare at "his" memorial as he passed. Despite actually being alive, Bruce refused to take it down, refused to acknowledge that he and the boy who died were technically the same person, even if Jason didn't feel like that Robin anymore. And after all that time that he had spent with Bruce back then, all that he was remembered as was a good soldier, as an angry Robin who got himself killed because he didn't listen to Batman. It was irritating to say the least.

"Little Wing? Why don't you stay a while?" He heard his older brother behind him.

He felt hot, and he felt the strongest urge to scratch at his neck. Sometimes, he got phantom pains by the wounds he had acquired over the years, wounds from before, during, and after his death. It didn't matter much to him though; it came with the job.

"Jay?" Dick sounded much closer now, and when Jason turned around, he was standing only a few feet away.

Jason shot a glare at him. Was it not clear that he wanted to leave? He ripped off a few pieces of his armor, freeing his neck and exposing it to the cool air of the cave. He clawed at his neck, but the strange feeling did not go away.

Dick's eyes focused on something below his gaze, but Jason didn't give enough shits to figure out what. It was late. He was tired, and most importantly, he wanted to get the hell out of here.

"I'm leaving." He threw one of his legs over to the other side of the motorbike.

Shook out of his stupor, his older brother launched forward, gripping Jason's left shoulder and one of the bike handles hard.

"...the fuck?"

"Jason, where did you get that?"

He shot Dick a dirty look. "What are you talking about?"

"That scar. The one on your neck."

 _Ah, fuck._ He rubbed the scar self-consciously. Usually, his armor covered his neck up while he was around the Bats, but he just _had_ to take it off. Fucking idiot.

"I'm leaving." He wasn't about to tell _that_ sob story to them. They would all take Bruce's side, and he wouldn't be able to stand that. He didn't want to hear any more crap about how he was wrong and how Bruce was right and how he was _such a bad person, Jason; how could you?_

"What scar are you talking about?" Tim speed walked over there and peaked by Dick's shoulder. "Oh, damn, that looks bad."

_No shit._

Jason rolled his eyes, pushing Dick off him roughly. "Listen, here. I'm going back to my safe house, where I will probably sleep for the entire day. Do not fuck with me during this time."

"Wait, Jason, Dick's serious. Where did you get that?" Stephanie had approached him from the other side.

"It's none of any of your fucking business; now, leave me alone." He started the motorbike, knowing that his siblings won't want to be run over.

They didn't move.

"I will hit you."

"Jason-" Cass had somehow materialized behind him. He flinched away from her hard, not realizing she was there.

"All you guys need to leave me the fuck alone right now." Jason seethed under his breath. These dumbasses were the only ones keeping him from his soft, warm, Bat-free bed.

He felt a dark presence approaching. He turned his head, seeing the Bat himself stalking over. Fucking damn it, Bruce was about to spill all the tea over him. Jason glared hard at the approaching man.

"Jaylad, let me see it."

Did this fucker really not remember where this came from? How dare he? It was one of the worst nights of his life, and Bruce had the audacity to forget the part he played in that altercation? Fuck everything about that.

"Get the fuck away from me." He pushed the gas peddle hard, not really caring who was in the way.

Tim and Damian, who had joined eventually, both jumped to the side to avoid him.

He didn't think much during his journey to his safe house, but he did _feel._ It didn't feel good, to say the fucking least. Bruce should have realized based off of the location of the scar itself. He shouldn't have had to even see it to realize that he himself had left it there.

Or maybe he was pretending? He definitely remembered doing that to him. Anyone would remember doing something like that to his own son, right?

Oh, right. He wasn't Bruce's son. Not anymore. They only brought him along when they needed him.

His sleep was anything but restful. He couldn't help but think about Bruce, about Dick and the rest of them. Did they really not know where the scar had came from? He couldn't blame Dick. Bruce oftentimes kept things secret from him, but he still couldn't believe that the Bat didn't seem to know what injury had left it there.

Perhaps Bruce really didn't know. During the incident, he had barely given him a glance once the batarang was thrown. He was much too concerned about getting the Joker, _the monster who had murdered him_ , to safety. Bruce had never come back to see if he was all right. Hell, Jason had had to disarm the explosives he had set himself while bleeding out.

Afterwards, he hadn't been able to speak correctly for months, but no one had noticed. He had kept that scar away from their sight for a long ass time at this point, and they hadn't noticed until he took off his fucking armor. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have noticed at all since Jason was never outside his armor around him. It was not "Jason and the Waynes" anymore, but occasionally, it would be "Red Hood and the Bats."

It hadn't even been a few hours until he heard someone enter his safe house. Without even looking, he knew exactly who it was: the Bats. Apparently, they did not take him seriously when he spoke of how fucking tired he was.

Fuck them.

"Jason?" It was Tim's voice he heard first.

"Tt. I don't understand why we are here." That was Damian.

Dick, the forever Golden Boy, spoke next. "It was a terrible scar, Dami."

"Do not call me that." He paused. "We all have scars."

"Yes, but it disturbs me that we don't know where it came from."

"Jason. Ask." His sister was there as well. Great, Jason didn't like being as mean to her, so he had to change his strategy now.

"Little Wing?" He heard the door knob on his door twist.

"Get the fuck out." Jason whipped his head around. "I'm trying to sleep in here, you know."

The door opened, and Dick poked his head through. "Hey, Jason. Sorry."

He groaned and slammed a pillow on top of his head.

"Todd, being overdramatic is unbecoming of you." The youngest brother's footsteps came to a halt right on the side of his bed. "Mother would not be happy to see this."

_Well, she can shove her opinions up her ass._

"Where did you acquire such a wound?"

"None of your fucking business."

The bed on the other side of him dipped, and he looked up to see Cass sitting next to him. No one was in uniform.

"Sad?"

"No." Jason shook his head. "Fucking pissed."

"That too." She agreed. "But sad."

_Shhh, Cass. That can be our little secret, 'kay?_

"Who did that to you?" Tim narrowed his eyes as his eyes scanned over the wound again.

This gaze felt like a laser. He turned away, so the marks were out of sight.

"Was it someone we know?" Dick added on. "I don't think you'd be acting like this if it wasn't."

_If only you knew how right you were._

"I brought snacks!" Another voice came from the general direction of his kitchen. God damn it, his safe house had been completely invaded; he would have to switch them up again.

Stephanie popped her head through the door with an oreo in her mouth. "Is this Jason here?"

"No, this is Patrick." He shoved the pillow on his face again. "Patrick wants to fucking _sleep._ "

"Well, Dick here needs some answers from Patrick." His older brother ripped the pillow off his head.

 _Why is every Bat so fucking_ stubborn _?_

"You really want to know how I got this?" He flashed his siblings a sickly sweet smile and shot them a fierce glare. "Why don't you just ask B?"

"What does he know about this?" Tim frowned. "Was he there when it happened?"

"He was definitely _there,_ yes, congrats on the wonderful deduction."

Cass trailed her finger down the scar and hummed slightly. Her face was slowly turning furious.

"Batman."

"What does Father have to do with a random wound Todd has?" Damian scowled.

"It's not just a random wound; it looks like it could have been fatal."

"Batman hurt him." Cass's fist clenched the sheets of the bed hard, slowly turning white from the force she was using.

"Ridiculous." The youngest turned away. "If Father wounded him, Todd definitely deserved it."

"Damian." Dick sent him a warning glare, but he too was slowly going ballistic. "Little Wing? Is that true?"

Jason laughed incredulously. "You know, I thought I meant something to him once upon a time."

"But did Bruce do this to you?" Tim pressed. "Because that's not okay."

_Is Tim really taking my side?_

"Well, yeah. Slit my throat with a batarang. He wanted to save the Joker's life, you know, but he nearly killed me in the process. Fucker didn't even come back to see if I had died or not." His face twisted into a snarl the further along he got.

Dick took a deep breath and stepped out of the room for a second.

"Dickiebird is taking B's side? I should have expected that, I gue-"

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL, BRUCE?"

All of them flinched with the volume and ferocity of Dick's voice coming from the other room.

"I stand corrected." Jason raised his eyebrows, truly surprised by the turn of events.

"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" There was a moment of silence. "THE SCAR, B, THAT MOTHERFUCKING SCAR ON HIS NECK! YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUT THAT THERE!"

"Bruce shouldn't have done that." Stephanie shook her head. "It wasn't right."

Jason scoffed. "I was trying to get him to break his fucking precious rule; of course he would do that."

"He almost broke that rule anyway!" Tim cut in. "Only with you on the receiving end."

"Whatever." He threw his sheet back over him. "Now, this has been absolutely _lovely_ , but I am going to go to sleep. Do me a favor and fuck off."

"Todd." Damian interjected.

Jason slowly cracked open one of his eyes. "What now?"

"Did Father actually do that to you? To save the life of....the Joker of all people?"

"You heard me."

He was silent for a moment. "I need to do some reevaluating."

"I don't care."

"I...apologize for being aggressive with you a few minutes ago."

Jason snorted. "Do you want a gold star?"

"I am being serious, Todd."

"Whatever. If you want a more coherent conversation, talk to me when it isn't ass o'clock in the morning."

"It is past noon."

"Time is a construct. I was patrolling all fucking night and haven't slept in days, so I don't care." 

"I will stay." Cass slid into a more comfortable position for sleeping.

Stephanie jumped onto the bed as well. "We can have a sleep over!"

At this point, Jason really couldn't give a damn what they did. "Fine."

Dick came back in about five minutes later, looked at the scene in front of him, and beamed. He all but leaped on top of his brother.

"Fuck you, Dick."

It was a long while until they awoke. They got out of bed one by one, generally milling around and eating some of Steph's snacks as they waited for the others to wake up. Jason honestly didn't know why they were still there.

He found an envelope on his table. It was completely blank except for his name on one side, and he recognized the handwriting.

Bruce had come by.

God damn it. Sighing, he begrudgingly opened the letter. What sort of bullshit was the old man going to try to sell him now?

_Jason,_

_You have a place with us. You have been and will always be my son._

_-Bruce_

He snorted. Bruce didn't even apologize for almost killing him. No, that would require him to show an emotion, and god forbid anyone see him emote.

What had he expected anyway?

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated!


End file.
